However, not long after “My Choice” went viral, the video became subject to many valid criticisms.

The goal of this video was to empower women across India, and with Deepika Padukone’s voice boldly declaring - “my body, my mind, my choice” - there is at least an initial jolt of empowerment within this short clip. Immediately after watching this video, I couldn’t help but be a fan. So imagine my pleasant surprise when I caught a glimpse of Homi Adajania’s “My Choice” video that is part of Vogue India’s #VogueEmpower campaign: In a culture that already subjects women to unrelenting discrimination on just about every level, what kind of hideous memo do movies like this send to Indians at large? And Ishq Vishk is just one example of this frequently seen Bollywood message. Most striking of which to me was his oft repeated phrase: “ ladki ka ‘no’ matlab ‘yes”‘ (a girl’s no means yes). Prior to this overt display of misogyny, Rajiv’s character had casually demonstrated plenty of subtle acts of male chauvinism. With problematic dialogue after problematic dialogue, writer and director Ken Ghosh essentially set the viewer up for the Alibaug retreat scene where Rajiv gets rejected by Payal, despite his assertion that his physical advances were justified because he’s her boyfriend. Suddenly, Rajiv has eyes only for Payal, and a little “ Aankhon Ne Tumhari” later and Payal can’t believe her dreams have come true. Rajiv is oblivious to the crush that the Betty to his Archie, Amrita Rao’s girl-next-door character, Payal, has had on him until he needs a date for an overnight retreat. In a nutshell: Shahid Kapoor’s Rajiv longs to be one of the popular kids in his Archie Comics Riverdale High School-esque college. My Bollywood nostalgia knows no bounds, so I recently reached back into the vault for Shahid Kapoor’s debut film Ishq Vishk. When I started re-watching this 2003 Bollywood rom-com, all I really remembered about the movie was that it had some good songs and that this love triangle kahani launched the careers of its three lead actors.

Ishq vishq film